by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
At noon Tuesday, the Supervisor of Elections Office on East Monroe Street went from quiet to crowded in less than a minute. The reason? Candidates vying for local offices began qualifying for the April 11 election.
A Florida Statute mandates that a candidate is not officially eligible until noon of the first day of qualifying.
“A lot of times, they like to be number one in line when it’s 12 o’clock,” said qualifying specialist Zerelda Thomas. “Sometimes they’ll wait out in front of the office until it’s time.”
And while most individuals would like to be first, only one person can claim that spot. Mary Ann Southwell, the Dist. 6 City Council incumbent, arrived with signed forms in hand at 9 a.m. Candidates wishing to qualify must provide proof of having opened a campaign bank account, must appoint a treasurer and present a signed statement of candidacy.
“I really just wanted to make a strong statement by showing up first,” said Southwell. “I am committed to my district, Mandarin. As I showed during my first term, I want to make it a good place to live, work and play.”
Following Southwell’s arrival were City Council candidates Richard Darby, Don Richman and and current Council vice president Lad Daniels.
“The first day of qualifying is always the most busy,” said Thomas. “Around the first hour or so is when the largest flood of people come through. After that they tend to trickle in until the end of the day.”
By City ordinance, candidates not qualifying by petition must also issue a check totaling six percent of the desired position’s annual salary.
“It’s always been that way,” said Frankie Knight, candidate records director for the elections office. “Two percent of that will go to the party, three percent goes to the general City fund and one percent goes to the election trust fund.”
Twenty-seven candidates, including four mayoral candidates — Ginger Soud, John Peyton, Matt Carlucci and Nat Glover — qualified Tuesday.
“The first day is always the most exciting,” said Thomas. “I’ve been here 14 years and in that time I have learned so much about the election process. It’s different every time.”
The candidates have until noon March 4 to qualify. Until then, Thomas isn’t ruling anyone out of the race.
“It’s always interesting to see who comes in at the last second to run,” she said. “You never know what to expect.”
Knight agreed.
“We have 73 candidates in the local elections this time,” she said. “And especially when we have races for the mayor and sheriff, it can get pretty heated.”